INSIDE THE FRAME by Joe Duty

“A man on a horse is spiritually as well as physically bigger than a man on foot.” – John Steinbeck

The horse is bigger than an animal, larger than an idea, beyond a story.

It is a partner silent enough to let its rider explore the shadows and corners of the mind, transforming cowboys into philosophers, as well as carry him over prairies and plains wide as heaven. An intuitive creature, its stoicism, loyalty and graceful, sinewy frame are unmatched.

The horse proves always adaptable for man, from nomadic hunter to fallow-minded farmer. It shares footprints in the dust having carried humankind from the paths of primitive life to the cavernous halls of civilization. The horse to rider is like a swordsman wielding a talking sword or a photographer carrying a conscious lens.

Our roaming photographer captured the image of horse and cowboy sharing a drink from a water hose in Paradise. The image, shot using only natural light, allowed the flow of the water to connect the horse and rider inside the frame. The arcing water creates the action needed to bring the still photograph to life. It attempts to tell the epic story of the ever-present bond between horse and rider.

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